Handtuch 1965

This is Konrad Lueg's "Handtuch," which, if my German serves me, translates to "towel." I wonder about Konrad, here, making art out of the everyday, painting these simple, repeating shapes that almost mimic a textile design. Each little form is held together by color. Look at that yellow and then that green – they create a conversation, a call and response. You know, making a painting is like setting up a little arena for colors and shapes to just duke it out. I bet Lueg was thinking about that, about how the mundane can become something else, something vibrant, when you just give it a little attention. He’s also, I think, in conversation with the Pop artists of his time, commenting, maybe, on the commodification of design. That repeated form, that repeated gesture, it becomes meditative. Painting is like that. We’re all in this big art conversation, shouting across time, borrowing, and riffing off each other's ideas.